CT in 2012?

As I continue to toil away on some outside writing projects (you’ll find out about them soon…), give a read to this Washington Post op/ed by David Lat and Kashmir Hill of Above the Law.

Entitled, “Justice Clarence Thomas seems bored. Why doesn’t he run for president in 2012?”, Lat and Hill go on to make an argument that should make any Court watcher and student of law and politics wonder, “Why haven’t I thought of this before?” That is no slight – this article is refreshingly provocative and plausible. There’s no better kind of commentary. Here’s a sample:

The Republican Party is in disarray, with no clear message — as shown in last week’s primaries — and with no obvious candidate to challenge President Obama in 2012. Thomas could be the GOP’s new standard-bearer. He has enviable name recognition, both as a long-serving justice and as the author of the bestselling 2007 autobiography “My Grandfather’s Son.” And he has already survived the nasty political attacks that marked his 1991 confirmation hearings.

No matter what one thinks of Justice Thomas, I think there’s a little something for everyone in Lat and Hill’s proposal.

One Response

Politics includes making various compromises that his jurisprudence does not seem to favor. He at best would be a Goldwater type character, giving the party a respectful run and maybe getting it back on track. The chances of him actually winning is low, honestly, so Obama will fill a seat that very well could switch the Court for little gain. Does the op-ed even mention that fact?